Informative Blog # 1
What does the common core look like in a 7th grade social studies class using Web 2.0 technology? How do you teach students to become responsible citizens with technology in the classroom?
The common core challenges educators to prepare students for the 21st century global workforce. How as teachers do we tackle this enormous obstacle? The best way to tackle any challenge is to break in down into small pieces that one can accomplish. Let’s be honest. Who of us has not felt overwhelmed in these past few years over the common core and PARRC? First step, let’s take PARRC out of the equation. Phew, that wasn’t so hard was it?
Let’s ask ourselves, what is the main purpose for the common core? We really need to dig deep and reflect. What do we want our students to know when they walk out of our classroom? How are we going to accomplish this?
I am going to simplify things, we as teachers like to over complicate everything. I know if there is a more complicated way of doing something, I’ll find it. A phenomenal guest speaker and educator @davestuartjr, gave me some insight that the common core does not have to be that difficult. Dave Stuart asked all the teachers to write one goal for next year and stick to it. My goal was to integrate more Web 2.0 tools and develop responsible citizens in the use of this technology. I am sticking to the plan! In this blog I am going to give four easy ideas of how to integrate Web 2.0 tools in your classroom.
Dave Stuart is the author of, A Non-Freaked Out Guide to Teaching the Core, who focuses on character education and literacy in the classroom.
Okay, back to my original inquiry question. What does the common core look like in my class using Web 2.0 technology? First, I am starting this blog that I will use next year with the class. I called this blog, “bestclassevercasale” because I want my students to walk out of my class saying that was the best class of the day every day! Remember small steps! Rome was not created in a day. The first thing I will try with this blog is to have my students record their thoughts about the previous day’s lesson. An example might be, something they learned, something they had a question about, something they liked or would change? A five minute warm up. This will increase my students writing by 40%. Can you believe something as small as this can change how much your students write? (D. Stuart)
My next step is to incorporate personal devices in the classroom using Twitter. Did I just say Twitter? Yes, I did! Although, there are many critics against Twitter, recent research studies have found that Twitter challenges students to be more witty and decisive in their word choice. Twitter also is an authentic vehicle to connect globally with the world. Through this experience, students realize they are writing for a global audience therefore producing higher quality work because it is not just for the teacher. (C. Thompson, 2013)
“One reason students phone in their school assignments- and only halfheartedly copy edit and research them- is that they’re keenly aware that there’s no “authentic audience.” Only the teacher is reading it. In contrast, academic studies have found that whenever students write for other actual, live people, they throw their back into the work- producing stuff with better organization and content, and nearly 40 percent longer than when they write for just their instructor” (Thompson, C. (2013, September 13). The dumbest generation? No, Twitter is making kids smarter. Retrieved July 12, 2015. )
My Twitter project will focus on persevering through Twitter. This is where I bring some of my character education into using technology. I will ask my students to follow their favorite role model and try to get them to retweet something the student has said. Anything I do in the class, I try beforehand. I have been working on this for almost two weeks. I am trying to teach my students to; persevere, be clever and understand what it takes to navigate the Twitter world without having to be controversial or negative. Keep your fingers crossed that this works! I will already say, as a novice Twitter user I am obsessed with trying to get three athletes to tweet or retweet me!
On the first day of school the students are going to work in teams to complete an obstacle course. This obstacle course will give clues to find QR codes around the building. The students will play a trivia game based on history and tweet back the answers to me. Now, does this sound complicated? It really isn’t, anyone can easily make a QR code, print it out on paper and tape it up on a wall. The students will do all the work for you. There are several free QR makers on-line that are free. I have to make sure to credit another great teacher, Mr. Christopher Spina. He did a variation of this last year in his school and inspired me. Remember, if you see an idea and it translates to your classroom, you do not have to recreate the wheel.
Finally, the grand finale! Can anyone say photo bomb? Teens, celebrities, even the President of the United States love to Photo Bomb! Do you want to take the taboo out of anything? Let your students go crazy and use their cell phones for the week to create photo bombs, selfies, and videos of them being silly to post to your blog. If it is no big deal, there will be no reason for them to sneak pictures. The only things you may need to consider is the photo release forms. Some students may not be able to be photographed. These students can be in charge of making “flip-o-grams” or movie trailers. What’s that? I will discuss that in my next blog.
Any questions, comments, ideas? I would love to hear from you! You can post a comment on my blog or follow me on Twitter @casale_tina.
What does the common core look like in a 7th grade social studies class using Web 2.0 technology? How do you teach students to become responsible citizens with technology in the classroom?
The common core challenges educators to prepare students for the 21st century global workforce. How as teachers do we tackle this enormous obstacle? The best way to tackle any challenge is to break in down into small pieces that one can accomplish. Let’s be honest. Who of us has not felt overwhelmed in these past few years over the common core and PARRC? First step, let’s take PARRC out of the equation. Phew, that wasn’t so hard was it?
Let’s ask ourselves, what is the main purpose for the common core? We really need to dig deep and reflect. What do we want our students to know when they walk out of our classroom? How are we going to accomplish this?
I am going to simplify things, we as teachers like to over complicate everything. I know if there is a more complicated way of doing something, I’ll find it. A phenomenal guest speaker and educator @davestuartjr, gave me some insight that the common core does not have to be that difficult. Dave Stuart asked all the teachers to write one goal for next year and stick to it. My goal was to integrate more Web 2.0 tools and develop responsible citizens in the use of this technology. I am sticking to the plan! In this blog I am going to give four easy ideas of how to integrate Web 2.0 tools in your classroom.
Dave Stuart is the author of, A Non-Freaked Out Guide to Teaching the Core, who focuses on character education and literacy in the classroom.
Okay, back to my original inquiry question. What does the common core look like in my class using Web 2.0 technology? First, I am starting this blog that I will use next year with the class. I called this blog, “bestclassevercasale” because I want my students to walk out of my class saying that was the best class of the day every day! Remember small steps! Rome was not created in a day. The first thing I will try with this blog is to have my students record their thoughts about the previous day’s lesson. An example might be, something they learned, something they had a question about, something they liked or would change? A five minute warm up. This will increase my students writing by 40%. Can you believe something as small as this can change how much your students write? (D. Stuart)
My next step is to incorporate personal devices in the classroom using Twitter. Did I just say Twitter? Yes, I did! Although, there are many critics against Twitter, recent research studies have found that Twitter challenges students to be more witty and decisive in their word choice. Twitter also is an authentic vehicle to connect globally with the world. Through this experience, students realize they are writing for a global audience therefore producing higher quality work because it is not just for the teacher. (C. Thompson, 2013)
“One reason students phone in their school assignments- and only halfheartedly copy edit and research them- is that they’re keenly aware that there’s no “authentic audience.” Only the teacher is reading it. In contrast, academic studies have found that whenever students write for other actual, live people, they throw their back into the work- producing stuff with better organization and content, and nearly 40 percent longer than when they write for just their instructor” (Thompson, C. (2013, September 13). The dumbest generation? No, Twitter is making kids smarter. Retrieved July 12, 2015. )
My Twitter project will focus on persevering through Twitter. This is where I bring some of my character education into using technology. I will ask my students to follow their favorite role model and try to get them to retweet something the student has said. Anything I do in the class, I try beforehand. I have been working on this for almost two weeks. I am trying to teach my students to; persevere, be clever and understand what it takes to navigate the Twitter world without having to be controversial or negative. Keep your fingers crossed that this works! I will already say, as a novice Twitter user I am obsessed with trying to get three athletes to tweet or retweet me!
On the first day of school the students are going to work in teams to complete an obstacle course. This obstacle course will give clues to find QR codes around the building. The students will play a trivia game based on history and tweet back the answers to me. Now, does this sound complicated? It really isn’t, anyone can easily make a QR code, print it out on paper and tape it up on a wall. The students will do all the work for you. There are several free QR makers on-line that are free. I have to make sure to credit another great teacher, Mr. Christopher Spina. He did a variation of this last year in his school and inspired me. Remember, if you see an idea and it translates to your classroom, you do not have to recreate the wheel.
Finally, the grand finale! Can anyone say photo bomb? Teens, celebrities, even the President of the United States love to Photo Bomb! Do you want to take the taboo out of anything? Let your students go crazy and use their cell phones for the week to create photo bombs, selfies, and videos of them being silly to post to your blog. If it is no big deal, there will be no reason for them to sneak pictures. The only things you may need to consider is the photo release forms. Some students may not be able to be photographed. These students can be in charge of making “flip-o-grams” or movie trailers. What’s that? I will discuss that in my next blog.
Any questions, comments, ideas? I would love to hear from you! You can post a comment on my blog or follow me on Twitter @casale_tina.
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